Union
by Tonks gone Borg
Summary: My First Fic Here! Please R/R!!! Purrrty please??!! His Shadow is back and has begun invading Federation territory! Lexx/ST Crossover.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Hold my hand,  
  
Touch my soul-  
  
I'll give you solace  
  
And so much more.  
  
I've got some love here,  
  
Got more than enough  
  
Don't say you don't want it  
  
What I've seen has betrayed.  
  
Don't tear yourself up-  
  
You've been ripped at enough.  
  
Don't let them win,  
  
But make them fall at your touch.  
  
Reach out and grasp at  
  
What's rightfully yours-  
  
Your mind and your heart  
  
Your memories and thoughts  
  
It's time to make more now  
  
Just give it a shot.  
  
Let's join hands now,  
  
Yours and Mine. You and I.  
  
It's time to begin again-  
  
Time to Take to the Sky.  
  
I've seen in your eyes,  
  
I've sensed from your thoughts  
  
You're more than you say you are,  
  
You're less than you ought.  
  
It's yours for the taking  
  
Victory awaits  
  
Kai, just reach out,  
  
We both know it's not too late. 


	2. Chapter One

THE YEAR 2405  
  
THE PLACE The outer reaches of the Gamma Quadrant  
  
*******************************************  
  
'Captain's log, Stardate 5071.20. After receiving word from Starfleet  
  
Command that an alien force has taken over Cardassia, Bajor, and Deep  
  
Space Nine, my crew and I have been sent to investigate. We have  
  
recently arrived at the coordinates Starfleet Intelligence had sent  
  
us--a previously uncharted sector of space deep within the Gamma  
  
Quadrant. In retrospect, I must confess my little *confrontation* with  
  
the Vurlig in the Delta Quadrant some years back has proven helpful. For  
  
without their wormhole-creating technology, the Federation would be  
  
powerless against whatever entity it is that has found it necessary to  
  
invade our space...'  
  
'Admiral! There are two ships closing in off the port bow!'  
  
'On visual, Ensign.' Fleet Admiral Maggie McCoy gaped at the viewscreen  
  
in disbelief. 'My God! Are you sure those are ships?'  
  
'They are, indeed, Admiral. Organic and sentient, but nonetheless ships.  
  
And they appear to be carrying humanoid passengers,' Ensign Bittman  
  
replied.  
  
'Mr. Terok, hail them on all frequencies.'  
  
'Both of them Admiral?'  
  
'Yes, Mr. Terok, you heard the order...'  
  
'Admiral, the smaller ship appears to be firing at the other one.'  
  
'There is no response from either ship, Admiral,' Mr. Terok informed  
  
her, his tone carrying as much regret as possible for a Vulcan. 'No,  
  
wait...a transmission is coming in from the larger ship. Its quality is  
  
very poor.'  
  
'Poor or not, I need to know what's going on around here. Put it on  
  
holo-visual.'  
  
With that, a holographic image of a middle aged man in what appeared to  
  
Maggie as a prison uniform appeared at the rear of the bridge.  
  
'I'm Fleet Admiral Magdalena McCoy, Commanding Officer of the Federation  
  
Starship Narendra III. Are you in need of assistance?'  
  
'Admiral, if I may...' Lieutenant Terok interjected, 'Would interfering  
  
in the conflicts of undiscovered cultures not be a violation of  
  
Starfleet Regulations?'  
  
'If this scuffle has anything to do with our occupation, Mr. Terok,  
  
which I believe it does...then no.'  
  
'Hello, Admiral. I'm Stanley Tweedle, Captain of the Lexx. We would  
  
indeed be in need of your assistance if you could be so kind to give it.  
  
We're being attacked by an assassin sent by His Shadow...'  
  
'Whose shadow?' the Admiral interrupted quizzically.  
  
'No. No. No. 'His Shadow' is a very powerful, evil force that's bent on  
  
conquering and destroying anything that comes into its path. He's after  
  
us...my crewmates and I...because we went against him.'  
  
'Well, I must say Captain Tweedle, if there's one thing we believe in  
  
where I come from it's putting an end to tyranny.'  
  
'This place where you say you're from must not be around here, or else  
  
you'd have heard of this guy.'  
  
'Indeed. Quite far away,' the Admiral responded with a smile.  
  
'Well, if you're going to help us, we'd appreciate it right away. The  
  
Lexx is a strong ship, but we've taken some pretty bad hits and our hull  
  
integrity has been compromised.'  
  
'You can count on us, Captain. But we're going to need some cooperation  
  
from you. I have a plan, but first I need you to pull around to our  
  
starboard bow and stay there. Got it?'  
  
'I have, Admiral. Thanks a lot.'  
  
'You betcha, McCoy out.'  
  
The holographic image disappeared from sight as Maggie returned to her  
  
place in the center of the bridge.  
  
'McCoy to Engineering!'  
  
'Torres here, what is it Admiral?'  
  
'B'Elanna, I'm going to need a couple of antimatter pods ready for  
  
ejection. We've got a pretty mean adversary out there and I think this  
  
might be our best shot at crippling them.'  
  
'Consider it done, Admiral. You know I for one can appreciate a good  
  
battle.'  
  
'Indeed, B'Elanna. McCoy out.'  
  
'That's my girl!' Maggie's first officer laughed as he turned to face  
  
her.  
  
'Tom, if there's any two people who can brighten even the most tense  
  
situations, it's you and B'Elanna.'  
  
'Better not let her hear you say that.'  
  
'I won't tell if you won't.'  
  
'Consider my mouth zipped.'  
  
'Admiral, I have received word from Engineering that the Antimatter pods  
  
are ready for ejection,' Chief Security Officer Odo announced from his  
  
station.  
  
'Excellent.' Maggie rose from her chair, tugging on her shirt. 'Ops, has  
  
the Lexx moved to the Starboard side?'  
  
'Affirmative, Admiral.'  
  
'Engage tractor beam.'  
  
'Aye.'  
  
'Now, Odo, have those two pods released in the direction of that other  
  
ship...and when they get close enough to do some damage, fire a couple  
  
of quantum torpedos at them. It should get him off our tails.'  
  
'Aye Admiral.'  
  
'Conn, have a wormhole open heading for Earth the instant we fire on  
  
those pods.' Maggie moved to the rear of the bridge, looking over Odo's  
  
shoulder at the Tactical station. 'Pods in range yet?'  
  
'Almost...now. Quantum torpedoes firing.'  
  
'Wormhole now open, Admiral.'  
  
'Excellent, now get us in there before that ship blows and takes us out  
  
with it.'  
  
But her words were a second too late, as the port side of the ship was  
  
whipped by the outermost edge of the explosion.  
  
'Damage report, Mr. Odo!'  
  
'Shields holding. We made it in, but barely.'  
  
'And, the Lexx?'  
  
'They made it too.'  
  
'Conn, what is our ETA?'  
  
'4 minutes, 37 seconds.'  
  
'Marvelous.'  
  
'Admiral, we are being hailed by the Lexx,' Mr. Terok announced.  
  
'On holo-visual.'  
  
'Admiral, I must say that was a remarkable tactical display, but what is  
  
this...this 'thing' we're in and where is it taking us?'  
  
'Captain Tweedle, it's an artificially induced wormhole heading for  
  
Federation Headquarters.'  
  
'And why are you taking *us* there?'  
  
'Well, aside from the fact I know your ship'll be a hell of a lot safer  
  
there, I'd like you to speak to Starfleet Command about what exactly is  
  
going on in your region of space.'  
  
'How does it concern you if you come from so far away?'  
  
'Two planets and two Federation outposts in your quadrant have recently  
  
been invaded by an unknown alien force. After seeing what I just saw, I  
  
have a feeling this Shadow fellow may somehow be involved.  
  
'Of course, we cannot take you back with us against your will. That  
  
would violate all the Federation stands for. So if you would prefer to  
  
return, and risk getting shot out of the sky, I would be more than  
  
obliged to help you...'  
  
'No. No, Admiral. That's...quite...all right. That ship of yours seems  
  
pretty powerful, and if your entire Federation is made up of ships like  
  
yours, you would be a fairly good match for His Shadow's forces.'  
  
'Sta-an!' a female voice in the background corrected him.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Maggie continued, 'I'd like you to assemble an away  
  
team and come over to my ship. Perhaps before we reach Starfleet  
  
Headquarters you could fill me in a bit more on your conflict with His  
  
Shadow.'  
  
'Will do, Admiral. It'll take us a while to prepare a shuttle...'  
  
'That won't be necessary, Captain. We possess technology to transport  
  
people from place to place without the need for shuttlecraft. If you'll  
  
stand by, we'll beam you over in a minute.'  
  
'Sounds fascinating, Admiral. And I look forward to meeting you in  
  
person.'  
  
'Same here. McCoy out.' Maggie tapped her commbadge, 'McCoy to sickbay.'  
  
  
  
'Well, hello there, Borg Queen! Ready to come down for your checkup?'  
  
'Not yet, Erika. I'll need you in the transporter room, on the double.  
  
We're having guests.'  
  
'On one condition. That after your 'guests' leave, you come down here  
  
for a checkup! Those implants of yours are nothing to chance around  
  
with.'  
  
'Consider it a date, Doctor. McCoy out.' Returning to her place in the  
  
center of the bridge, she picked up a data padd and began entering some  
  
information. 'Ensign Bittman, you have the Conn. Number One, Odo, and  
  
Ensign Elar, if you'd join me to meet our guests?'  
  
'Much obliged, Admiral. Much obliged.'  
  
'Tom, you haven't changed a bit since Voyager. Not one bit,' Maggie  
  
teased back as the four entered the turbolift.  
  
'I don't care what you were intending to convey, I'm going to take that  
  
as a compliment!'  
  
'You do that, honey. Transporter Room One!'  
  
With that, the doors closed only to reopen wider than before.  
  
Three figures materialized on the transporter padd. One the bridge crew  
  
recognized as Captain Tweedle. Another was a young female, clutching  
  
what appeared to be a positronic head of some sort. The third nearly  
  
made Admiral McCoy catch her breath. He was beautiful. There was no  
  
other word to describe him. Tall, with raven black hair, alabaster skin,  
  
and intense green eyes, the sight of him struck her dumbfounded.  
  
Noticing her attentions, he fixed his gaze on her, dissecting her with  
  
his emerald orbs. For a moment, Maggie felt as if she could hear their  
  
thoughts mingling into one.  
  
*Of course!* she thought. *You're telepathic!*  
  
*And, if you don't mind, quite handsome as well.* She added shyly.  
  
Normally, the young man would have been unmoved by her compliment. After all, he had been dead for over two millenia, and to him, sexual  
  
attraction had become nothing more than an intellectual concept. But  
  
something about this woman moved him. Perhaps it was the fact that she  
  
was able to reach into his thoughts, his emotions--that their two minds  
  
had become one for a brief moment in time.  
  
He replied to her admiration not with words, but with a rather disarming  
  
smile, something which his two--or perhaps three, if the robot head  
  
could be counted--colleagues replied to with shock.  
  
*I guess your friends' reaction means you don't do that very often.  
  
Smile, I mean.*  
  
*You can probably sense that throughout most of my existence I have had  
  
very little to smile for* he finally responded.  
  
*Well, we'll have to see if we can change that, now won't we?* the  
  
Admiral smiled back at him.  
  
Deep inside, the tall young man in black felt she might actually have the power to do that.  
  
Stepping towards the transporter padd, Maggie bowed her head slightly  
  
and extended a hand to the Captain of the Lexx.  
  
'Captain Tweedle, it is a pleasure to have you and your crew join us on  
  
the Narendra III.'  
  
'The pleasure is all mine, Admiral,' he replied as, rather than shaking  
  
her hand, he lifted it to his lips.  
  
Shocked, Maggie pulled back her hand and let out a very diplomatic, yet  
  
embarrassed chuckle.  
  
'This is my first officer, Captain Tom Paris.'  
  
'An honor and a pleasure, sir,' Tom greeted as he shook hands with the  
  
other Captain.  
  
'My Chief Medical Officer, Erika Bic. Chief of Security, Odo. And last,  
  
but certainly not least, Ensign Elar, my primary operations officer.'  
  
'This is quite a ship, Admiral. And quite a crew! I've never such  
  
diversity of species working together on one vessel. Species I'm  
  
certainly not familar with. Would you mind telling me where you're all  
  
from?'  
  
'I am half Terran, half El-Aurian. El-Auria is a planet that used to  
  
exist on the border between the Delta and Beta quadrants, but was  
  
destroyed by hostile forces over 100 years ago.'  
  
'So you've never seen this planet, I take it?' Captain Tweedle chimed  
  
in.  
  
'Quite the contrary. I was born there. You see, El-Aurians have 800 year  
  
life spans.'  
  
'Fascinating,' he replied.  
  
'Captain Paris is Terran, from the planet Earth, where we are currently  
  
headed. Dr. Bic is Vulcan, but was raised on Earth. Lieutenant Commander  
  
Odo is a Founder, from the Gamma Quadrant, where you are from. And  
  
Ensign Elar is Bajoran. His homeworld is one of the Federation planets  
  
recently occupied by who we believe is this 'His Shadow' you speak of.'  
  
'Well, Admiral, I suppose I should introduce your crew to mine. To my  
  
left is Xev Bellringer and 790, and to my right is Kai. We don't have  
  
ranks and such a strict chain of command as you seem to here, but I am  
  
Captain of the Lexx, as I'm the only one who can operate it.'  
  
'And how is this possible?' Tom Paris inquired.  
  
'Its computer responds only to my handprint,' the other Captain  
  
responded.  
  
'Ah. We used to have something like that--on some older Starship  
  
classes. Except it recognized retinal patterns instead of handprints,'  
  
Odo commented.  
  
As the other officers were engaged in conversation with the Lexx crew,  
  
Dr. Bic was busy studying her medical tricorder. She was becoming quite  
  
perplexed at the extremely strange readings she would get every time she  
  
pointed it at the one called 'Kai'.  
  
'Mr. Kai,' the doctor began,'I'm getting the most unusual readings from  
  
you on my medical tricorder. Would you mind coming down to sickbay for  
  
an examination?'  
  
'Not at all, Doctor. But I must tell you-- it's quite understandable my  
  
bio signs would appear somewhat...convoluted. You see, I am dead,' Kai  
  
responded.  
  
'Astounding,' she commented back.  
  
With that, Admiral McCoy began to groan in pain as she clasped her left  
  
arm. The Lexx crew had not previously noticed, but this arm appeared to  
  
be bound in some kind of metallic exoskeletal structure. Also, as some  
  
of her wavy brown hair was tossed out of place, they were able to see a  
  
small, metallic plate attached to her face near her right ear.  
  
At the sight, Xev and Stanley looked at each other, not comprehending  
  
what was going on. Kai, however, closed his eyes and furrowed his brow,  
  
as if he could sense the Admiral's pain.  
  
'Okay Borg Queen,' Erika Bic joked, 'Now you see why I wanted you to  
  
come down for a checkup?'  
  
'I'm fine, Doctor. Just give me a minute, it'll pass,' Maggie gritted  
  
her teeth in pain.  
  
'You're coming with us to sickbay, Admiral. Doctor's orders!'  
  
'Well...I guess I can't argue with that then, now can I?' she conceded,  
  
turning to Tom, 'Number One, give our guests a tour of the ship, would  
  
you? And bring Odo with you. I'll escort Mr. Kai around the ship later.  
  
As for you, Ensign Elar, return to your post at the bridge.'  
  
'Aye, Admiral,' the Ensign responded as he left the transporter room.  
  
'One more thing, Mr. Paris. Have the Lexx crew and all the senior staff  
  
meet me in my ready room at 1800 hours.'  
  
'Sure thing, Admiral.'  
  
Maggie tapped her commbadge, 'McCoy to Engineering.'  
  
'Torres here, go ahead Admiral.'  
  
'Could you take my place on the bridge? Both Captain Paris and I are  
  
unavailable at present. Also, when we reach Earth, don't dock until I've  
  
returned to the bridge.'  
  
'Roger, Admiral. Torres out.'  
  
'Okay, let's head on down to sickbay,' Dr. Bic chimed in. 'Lieutenant,  
  
transport the three of us to sickbay.'  
  
'Aye, doctor,' the young lieutenant at the transporter controls  
  
complied.  
  
And with that moment, the Doctor, Maggie, and Kai vanished into blue  
  
lights.  
  
'What was that all about?' the robot head, 790 asked.  
  
'Admiral McCoy has some cybernetic implants that tend to bother her from  
  
time to time,' Tom Paris replied, not wanting to give the whole story of  
  
how Maggie had once been a Borg drone.  
  
'If they bother her so much, why doesn't she just have them removed?'  
  
Xev inquired.  
  
'Because the possibility exists that the procedure could kill her.'  
  
Changing the subject, 'Now, how about that tour, huh?'  
  
The group exited the transporter room and began to make their way  
  
through the corridors. Stanley Tweedle and his crew were astonished at  
  
what they saw. They remembered space stations in the Cluster looking  
  
somewhat like this, but never a ship !  
  
Captain Tweedle began to tap one of the walls.  
  
'Stan, don't touch!' Xev admonished him.  
  
'Yeah, Stan. Knowing you, you're likely to wreck the whole ship,' 790  
  
smirked.  
  
'Titanium,' the Captain of the Lexx mused. 'Impressive.'  
  
'Thank you, Captain. I'm glad you approve. Now, if you wouldn't mind  
  
heeding the advice of your positronic friend and refraining from  
  
touching things, the tour will be a much more pleasant experience...for  
  
all of us,' Odo responded, glancing at Tom out of the corner of his eye.  
  
They both knew this was going to be a loooong tour... 


	3. Chapter Two

Meanwhile, Dr. Bic was giving Kai a thorough physiological examination,  
  
while the Emergency Medical Hologram was tending to Maggie's Borg  
  
implants.  
  
'Fascinating...absolutely fascinating,' the Doctor interjected while  
  
looking over the results of the bioscan.  
  
'I'm glad you approve, Doctor,' Kai replied, emotionless, as always.  
  
'Now, you say you've been dead for over 2000 years, but that's only half  
  
the truth.'  
  
'I don't understand...'  
  
'When your body was overhauled to accomodate your positronic implants,  
  
they needed to--if you will--jump start some of the cells in your  
  
surrounding tissue as to anchor them in.'  
  
'What you're trying to say, Doctor, is that part of me is still  
  
biologically alive?' Kai probed.  
  
'Well...around here, the definiton of what it means to be 'alive' is  
  
probably a bit more fuzzy than where you are from. But, according to all  
  
definitions, I would have to say yes.  
  
'Mind you, the live cells are only barely so, as your immune system had  
  
to be suppressed when the implantation was done, so your body wouldn't  
  
reject your new 'parts'.'  
  
'With all due respect, Doctor. Where exactly are you going with this?'  
  
'Where I'm going, Kai, is that because you still possess living DNA  
  
samples, it would be possible to rebuild your entire organic structure  
  
with the use of nanoprobe technology. In essence, it could make you once  
  
again a fully-functioning, live organic being.'  
  
'Hellooo, Dr. Bic! All done! My nanoprobes are now in prime working  
  
order,' Maggie announced, entering from the adjoining room.  
  
'Is that what was done for her?' Kai inquired, concerned that nanoprobes  
  
would give him the same degree of trouble.  
  
'Is what what was done for me?' Maggie asked, a look of puzzlement  
  
creeping across her face as her eyes passed from Kai to Erika.  
  
'Nanoprobe organic tissue regeneration,' Erika replied.  
  
'Oh, no Kai!' Maggie responded, giggling somewhat. 'Almost 30 years ago,  
  
I was assimilated against my will into a group of cybernetic humanoids  
  
who call themselves the Borg. It was their way--to seek perfection by  
  
combining the organic with the synthetic, and by assimilating as many  
  
members of as many cultures as possible into their collective.'  
  
'Would not increasing the size of their collective decrease its  
  
efficiency?' Kai probed.  
  
'Quite the contrary, each new individual assimilated would bring his or  
  
her biological and technological distinctiveness to the whole. That was  
  
the whole point to assimilation.'  
  
*How did you ever get out?* Kai asked her telepathically.  
  
*Nine years ago, an encephalitis-type disease broke out among the Borg,  
  
brought in by a previously undiscovered species that was stricken with  
  
it. Collectives, en masse, began to die out, until they made an  
  
agreement with Starfleet that no more forced assimilation would occur  
  
among Federation peoples in return for a cure. When a team from  
  
Starfleet Medical arrived, it found the only way they could administer  
  
the cure was through severing everyone's link to the collective. Many  
  
former drones, such as myself, recovered our memories and wished to  
  
leave the collective, thereby retaining our individuality.*  
  
*So some actually chose to remain drones?*  
  
*Yes, definitely,* Maggie continued, *For some, especially those who  
  
have spent a greater portion of their lifetimes in the Collective, when  
  
made individuals again have absolutely no idea what to do with  
  
themselves. There have been cases where former drones have starved to  
  
death because since they have for so long depended on the collective for  
  
their needs, they have forgotten what it means to live as individuals.*  
  
*But you said they were potentially dangerous. Would it not be more  
  
logical to kill them off?*  
  
*Kai, the Federation holds a high regard for ALL life, including that of  
  
our enemies. Anyway, since we administered the cure, the Borg has been a  
  
solid ally to the Federation. In our dealings with His Shadow's forces,  
  
I'm sure their help will be most invaluable.*  
  
*I am...not alive,* Kai affirmed, as much regret as possible in his  
  
voice for one who claims to feel nothing.  
  
*That's where you're wrong, Kai. Extremely wrong,* Maggie responded, her  
  
face lit up with a smile, her blue eyes sparkling with empathic  
  
enthusiasm.  
  
Kai thought for a minute...This 'Maggie' was a very special person.  
  
Although they had barely just met, she was able to probe his thoughts,  
  
reach into his very psyche, and even make emotions surface he thought  
  
long since dead.  
  
'Alrighty,' Dr. Bic suddenly interrupted, 'Enough with the tele- talk.  
  
Dr. McCoy, if you would assist me, I'd like to take a sample of Mr.  
  
Kai's protoblood and run a chemical analysis on it.'  
  
'You are a doctor?' Kai asked Maggie.  
  
'That's why I wear the blue uniform, son.'  
  
*You are definitely well suited to the task, Maggie--if I may call you  
  
that. You possess such empathy, and a very enthusiastic spirit.*  
  
*Thank you, Kai. I appreciate that. And yes, you may call me Maggie, but  
  
while I'm in command, I'd prefer Admiral McCoy...and for you, Lieutenant  
  
Commander Kai?*  
  
*Lieutenant Commander?*  
  
*I'm offering you an officer's commission in Starfleet. And I'd like you  
  
to serve as my auxiliary first officer when we finally engage His  
  
Shadow's forces...since you've had combat experience against them and  
  
all. Of course, you have every right to refuse...*  
  
*I shall think about it...Maggie* a ghost of a smile played upon his  
  
lips.  
  
'Erika, let's get that protoblood sample,' Maggie announced, not moving  
  
her smiling gaze from Kai's face.  
  
A few minutes later, Maggie was examining a slide containing a small  
  
drop of protoblood under a microscope.  
  
'Computer,' she suddenly announced, 'Run a complete chemical scan on  
  
this compound and display the results onscreen.'  
  
'Aha!' she interjected, observing the complex chemical diagram on her  
  
computer console.  
  
'What is it?' Erika asked, moving to look over the Admiral's shoulder.  
  
'Silicon, copper-sulfate, sodium-chloride, an unknown that shouldn't be  
  
too difficult to identify and duplicate--it appears similar in  
  
composition to Beryllium, but slightly radioactive, and trace amounts of  
  
Aluminum.'  
  
'Nurse!' Erika called to a young Trill woman on the other end of  
  
sickbay. 'Bring this slide down to Cybernetics and ask them to duplicate  
  
about three liters of it for me. Oh, and have them leave out as much  
  
Aluminum as possible.'  
  
'Yes, doctor,' the nurse replied as she left sickbay, slide in hand.  
  
'Doctor, why did you ask her to leave out the Aluminum?' Kai asked.  
  
'It has been suggested that Aluminum may have an impact on the brain's  
  
ability to create new memories and retrieve old ones. Did the people who  
  
reanimated you have any reason for you to forget who you were while you  
  
were biologically alive?'  
  
'Yes. They reanimated my body to use me as an assassin. I was a mindless  
  
drone, with one purpose to kill whoever His Shadow asked me to. I had no  
  
need for memory retention.'  
  
'I feel that now your memory processes in fully functioning order would  
  
be more than invaluable to you,' Dr. Bic responded.  
  
'Thank you Doctor. I appreciate that.'  
  
'You know, Erika,' Maggie suddenly began, looking up at the monitor  
  
above Kai's biobed,'I just don't understand what the evolutionary  
  
significance is of having the heart in the absolute center of the chest.  
  
That is where the original heart was, wasn't it?'  
  
'Yes, Maggie. Here's the common cartoid artery running right into it,'  
  
Erika pointed out to her.  
  
'Where is the heart on members of your species, Maggie?' Kai inquired.  
  
'Well...El-Aurians actually have two of them. One here,' she said,  
  
pointing to the upper left of her chest, 'and one here,' this time  
  
pointing to the lower right. 'Since we live for 800 years, we have  
  
redundant hearts that alternate in use. While one functions, the other  
  
regenerates, so that when one fails--for whatever reason--the other  
  
automatically takes over its function.'  
  
'And in Vulcans, Doctor Bic?'  
  
'Right here,' Erika pointed to the upper right side of her chest.  
  
'Fascinating.'  
  
'Since you both are all done here, perhaps you'd like to give Kai a tour  
  
of the ship, Admiral? I've got some work I'd like to get done before we  
  
dock.'  
  
'Right. We've probably entered orbit already, and the folks at Spacedock  
  
are going to start wondering why we're just floating around up here.  
  
I'll see you later, Erika.'  
  
'Bye Maggie. And it was very nice meeting you, Kai,' Dr. Bic smiled.  
  
'Likewise, Doctor. And thank you very much for your help.'  
  
'Not at all.'  
  
'All right, Mr. Kai. Ready to see the Narendra III?' Maggie went on as  
  
the two left sickbay. 


	4. Chapter Three

It was nearly 1800 hours, and Maggie and Kai were waiting in the Ready  
  
Room for the Lexx Crew and the others.  
  
'Computer, what is the current time?' Maggie asked.  
  
'The time is now 1754 hours.'  
  
'Damn! What's taking them so long?'  
  
'My fellow crew mates are probably quite fascinated with your ship,  
  
Admiral. I know I am--I do not think I have ever seen anything quite  
  
like it before. It is in their nature to learn everything they can about  
  
something previously undiscovered,' Kai responded.  
  
'Well, that's healthy.'  
  
*I do not think I have ever met anyone quite like you before either,  
  
Maggie. You understand me like no one else has in a very long time.*  
  
*Thank you, Kai. I know for a fact that I've never met anyone quite like  
  
you before.*  
  
*Is that a bad thing?* he asked. Maggie could sense he felt a bit  
  
threatened.  
  
*On the contrary, it's wonderful! There are other telepathic races in  
  
Starfleet, but so few of my own kind and so few with whom I can  
  
establish such a solid link.*  
  
Not responding, Kai rose from his seat and began to examine the framed  
  
photographs sitting atop a tall mahogany chest of drawers in the corner.  
  
  
  
*If you do not mind my asking, who are these people?*  
  
Rising to join him, she began to identify the faces in each picture.  
  
First picking up a picture of herself and Dr. Bic back in their Columbia  
  
days, Maggie began to laugh nostalgically. *This is Dr. Bic and myself  
  
back when we were in med school together. I don't really remember all  
  
that much about that night though..heh! But from the surrounding  
  
scenery, I can ascertain that we were at this fraternity party at the  
  
West End...*  
  
*The West End?* Kai's thoughts puzzledly interrupted her own.  
  
*It was a bar that a lot of people from Columbia,our university, used to  
  
frequent, and downstairs it had a room you could rent out for parties. I  
  
think it had been there practically forever...I remember there being a  
  
bunch of old photographs--from the 20th century, I think--of a bunch of  
  
drunken Columbia students, all human of course--Earth hadn't made  
  
contact with any alien races yet--just 'livin' it up'.  
  
*Erika--Dr. Bic--and I didn't find ourselves there too often though. The  
  
West End was more of a place for the 'mainstream' people. We were a  
  
couple of misfits who always associated ourselves with the avante- garde,  
  
artist type--people who weren't content unless they challenged anything  
  
that so much as smelled of authority.*  
  
*You like to reminisce about your early life. I can sense it.*  
  
*Things were a lot easier then, Kai. I didn't have the guilt of  
  
everything I did while I was among the Borg constantly weighing on my  
  
mind. I wasn't commanding any Starships then--didn't have the  
  
responsibility of having nearly 300 lives, and perhaps more, in my  
  
hands.*  
  
*Commanding a Starship seems challenging, yes. But you like a challenge,  
  
I can tell--if you didn't, you probably wouldn't be so intent on  
  
reclaiming your territory from His Shadow's forces.*  
  
*My motto has always been, 'When in a no-win situation, don't give up,  
  
cheat.' You know, back in the Academy, they used to give us this test  
  
they called the Kobayashi Maru. It was completely a no-win situation,  
  
designed to see how we would react if defeat was inevitable. However, it  
  
has been beaten--twice. Once by some Vulcan kid who just graduated from  
  
the Academy, this year, and who I absolutely want among my crew when we  
  
finally go up against this 'His Shadow' character, and once by Captain  
  
James T. Kirk, who's right here,* she said, pointing to an amber- haired  
  
young man in another photograph.  
  
*He was a wonderful friend, a mentor, and undoubtedly the man I admire  
  
above anyone I have ever met.*  
  
*Who is the other person in the picture with the two of you?*  
  
*Dr. Leonard McCoy. My husband.*  
  
*So, you are married then?* Kai asked, regret tinging his words so  
  
slightly only a skilled telepath such as Maggie could sense it.  
  
*Was married. He was assassinated 30 years ago by a couple of goons from  
  
an alien race I was having, how should I say, 'dealings' with. And, as  
  
if that weren't enough, they killed my daughter...right in front of me.  
  
This is her, here,* she said, pointing to another photograph of her  
  
husband, her two children, and herself, taken only shortly before her  
  
husband's death. 'Commander Teresa McCoy, a doctor just like both of her  
  
parents. Pretty, wasn't she?*  
  
*Yes. She looked a great deal like you. I..I am very sorry, Maggie. Your  
  
husband was quite a bit older than you were,* Kai commented, studying  
  
the photograph closely.  
  
*Actually, I was the older one in the relationship. Twenty years older.  
  
He just appeared older because he was human and thus lacked an 800 year  
  
lifespan. Then again, who knows? With all the artificial implants that  
  
man kept on putting into his body, he very well could have lived to 800.  
  
Leonard was always trying to cheat death, which may have been why he  
  
married me. To members of most other species, 800 is almost immortal.*  
  
*Is your son still alive?*  
  
*Sure is!* Maggie replied, elated. *Jim's the Captain of the USS  
  
Enterprise, probably floating around somewhere in the Delta Quadrant  
  
about now, exploring new worlds, seeking out new civilizations--and all  
  
that other fun Starfleet stuff.*  
  
*What about this picture?* Kai asked, picking up a photograph that  
  
seemed much older than all the rest, portraying an extremely young  
  
Maggie with three other faces he did not recognize.  
  
*This picture here is of my mother, father, my sister, Zaran or Isabel,  
  
whichever you prefer, I guess, and myself. It was taken 120 years ago.  
  
They're all dead now...all except me, that is...*  
  
*Why did your sister have two names?*  
  
*Since my mother was El-Aurian and my father was Terran, we were given  
  
both an El-Aurian name and a name indigenous to my father's region on  
  
Earth.*  
  
*So, what is your El-Aurian name?*  
  
*Aihran,* she responded.  
  
*Aihran...* the name lingered in his mind for what seemed like an  
  
eternity. *It is very pretty...it sounds somewhat like the female  
  
Brunnen-G name, Ehrien. If you do not mind, I would prefer to call you  
  
by your El-Aurian name.*  
  
*I'd like that very much, Kai. Your people are called the Brunnen- G?  
  
What is the name of your planet?*  
  
*What was the name of my planet, you mean. Brunnis 2 was destroyed by  
  
His Shadow's forces over 2000 years ago.*  
  
*About the time you were assimilated into his Assasin gang?*  
  
*The very day. But I would hardly call it an assimilation. We were  
  
mindless beings, but we retained some degree of individuality, however  
  
small. We did not have the thoughts of others constantly running through  
  
our heads.*  
  
*My planet was destroyed too.*  
  
*Yes, I remember your telling Stan.*  
  
*By the Borg. My mother, sister, and I managed to escape on two  
  
different refugee ships. My ship was rescued by a Federation vessel, but  
  
theirs was destroyed.*  
  
*Quite tragic, Aihran. The Borg? The same people who assimilated you?*  
  
*Yes, although this was quite some time before. You see, I left home  
  
when I was about 20 years old to go to school on earth. My parents had  
  
split up slightly prior, and my mother would never let me got to Earth  
  
to see my father, let alone allow him to come visit us. Also, she was so  
  
overbearing--so rigid--and I was such a free spirit it was absolutely  
  
killing me to live with her. So I came to earth, worked my way through  
  
undergraduate university and medical school, then spent two years at  
  
Starfleet Academy and became an officer like my father. He was so proud  
  
of me...* Her thoughts began to trail off, obviously being intentionally  
  
blocked from Kai's mind, as if this memory was hers and hers alone. *He  
  
was killed in action a short time after that. About thirty years later,  
  
I went back to El-Auria to see my mother and sister for the first time  
  
since I had left. My sister had married and was the mother of three  
  
beautiful children who looked just like her.  
  
*Well, she for one was happy to see me again...but my mother wouldn't  
  
accept any apologies I offered her. While I was visiting, the Borg began  
  
attacking the planet, and we had to evacuate. She died without ever  
  
forgiving me...and it still hurts...*  
  
*That is...understandable, Aihran. Even by someone like me, who cannot  
  
feel.*  
  
*You underestimate yourself, Kai. You can feel--I can sense it every  
  
time we communicate telepathically like this. I could sense it the  
  
moment you appeared on the transporter padd. It's just been so long  
  
since you've consciously used your feelings that you've forgotten about  
  
them--but they're there. And if you'd like, I could help you resurface  
  
them,* Maggie offered.  
  
*And how would you do this?* Kai asked.  
  
*Aha! So you're interested! That's the first sign that you have  
  
feelings!*  
  
Unable to hold back, Kai let the broadest smile Maggie had ever seen  
  
cross his face.  
  
*And that's the second sign,* she teased him, returning the smile.  
  
*After my link with the collective was severed, I had some trouble  
  
understanding the emotions that were resurfacing within my psyche. So I  
  
started learning Vulcan meditation techniques. Although most Vulcans,  
  
not including Erika--she's a different case all together, try to  
  
suppress their emotions, I was using the techniques to bring them to  
  
surface. And my endeavors were most successful, let me tell ya.*  
  
*Obviously...or we would not be having this conversation right now.*  
  
*So, what do you say, Kai? Do you want me to teach you these techniques  
  
sometime? We'll have a couple of days at Starfleet Headquarters before  
  
we go into combat, so I should have more than enough time for you.*  
  
*I think...I should like that, Aihran.*  
  
*Excellent.*  
  
With that, there was a buzz at the door.  
  
'Come!' Maggie called.  
  
Tom, the remaining members of the Lexx away team, and the other senior  
  
officers entered the room. However, something seemed to be missing. It  
  
was then when Maggie realized the robot head, 790, was not among them.  
  
'Number One, where's 790?' she asked her First Officer.  
  
'He's spending a little time in the Brig...reflecting...on what appears  
  
to be a lack of respect for authority.'  
  
'Aah, gotcha,' Maggie winked.  
  
'The better for it, anyway. He'd probably find innumberable ways to  
  
disrupt our conference here, Admiral McCoy,' Captain Tweedle reassured  
  
her.  
  
'I don't doubt it,' Maggie responded, rising from her chair and  
  
stretching slightly. 'If you'd all take your places at the conference  
  
table?' She motioned towards the long, rectangular table that lie  
  
towards the other side of the Ready Room.  
  
Sitting down into her customary position at the head of the table, she  
  
bid the Captain of the Lexx to take the chair directly across from her.  
  
'Now that we're all here, I propose that before getting down to  
  
business, I should introduce you, Captain Tweedle, and your crew to the  
  
senior staff aboard the USS Narendra III. Captain Paris and Dr. Bic,  
  
you've already met,' She began, motioning towards the two officers on  
  
either side of her. 'As you have already met Chief of Security,  
  
Lieutenant Commander Odo, and Chief of Operations, Ensign Elar Raen.  
  
Next to Dr. Bic is Counsellor Nulak Deb, and next to Commander Odo is my  
  
chief Engineer, Commander B'Elanna Torres. Also, I would like you to  
  
meet my chief Flight Control Officer, Ensign Renee Bittman, chief  
  
Science Officer, Commander T'Val, chief of Stellar Cartography, Crewman  
  
5 of 12, and Communications Officer, Lieutenant Terok.'  
  
Examining Counsellor Nulak and Crewman 5 of 12, Kai realized they, like  
  
Admiral McCoy, had once been Borg. 5 of 12 had the most cybernetic  
  
devices remaining in his body, as if he had been part of the collective  
  
for the greater portion of his life. It appeared as if Counsellor  
  
Nulak's implants, on the other hand, had all been removed, save for the  
  
exoskeletal structure encasing her left hand. However, their removal had  
  
not been conducted by a surgeon of the same skill as the one who had  
  
treated her colleagues, as two uneven scars appeared on her face where  
  
her implants once would have been.  
  
Kai mused that these former Borg were much like him--once mindless,  
  
performing abominable acts in the name of some higher cause with no way  
  
to refuse to do so. Perhaps not even wanting to--at least on a conscious  
  
level. Now, the three of them were struggling to gain that which so long  
  
ago was ripped from them their individuality, their lives as they once  
  
knew them. But they were still among the living, at least in the  
  
biological sense, so their efforts were admirable. Yet, after meeting  
  
Admiral McCoy, who, with her mind, could reach into the depths of his  
  
soul and bring to the surface emotions he thought were long  
  
lost--possibilities he thought were impossible--he began to re- examine  
  
his condition. When he had told her that he was not alive, she told him  
  
he was mistaken. She had said this because, by the laws of all logic and  
  
reason, she believed she was correct--not because she hoped to gain  
  
anything from her affirmation. And she had gone so far as to prove her  
  
arguments with the use of her astounding telepathic/empathic abilities.  
  
As a result, he had been given much more than the recovery of the  
  
emotions she had brought to surface, but the greatest gift anyone could  
  
receive--the gift of hope. Hope was, indeed, something he had found  
  
little use for in the 2000 years since his natural death--that is, until  
  
now.  
  
Kai began to ponder this further, until the realization hit him Ehrien,  
  
the Brunnen-G name which sounded so much like Aihran, Maggie's El- Aurian  
  
name, meant 'Hope'.  
  
*Her parents named her well,* he mused, careful to shield his thoughts  
  
from her telepathic mind. It was, unlikely, however, that the name would  
  
hold the same meaning in her language, as the Brunnen-G and the  
  
El-Aurians were two entirely different people, from two entirely  
  
different points of the galaxy. Still, he embraced the thought as he  
  
allowed his eyes to study her, all the while making sure his mind was  
  
temporarily blocked from hers.  
  
She was very beautiful, he thought to himself. Though in a much  
  
different way than he found Xev beautiful. His Aihran was tall and  
  
strong, both physically and mentally. Despite her humanity, she was a  
  
being of great logic and emotional restraint--restraint, but with the  
  
ability to show great emotion when the appropriate occasion arose. His  
  
field of vision perused from her long, wavy chestnut hair to her blue  
  
eyes--warm, friendly, and sparkling with life, yet, upon closer  
  
inspection, older than one would gather. From what she had told him  
  
earlier of her life, she had seen much--though not nearly as much as Kai  
  
in his two millennia. This was understandable, however, for very few  
  
ever had.  
  
Now, she was in a position of great responsibility, where her very  
  
decisions could save or destroy the lives of all those under her  
  
command, and in her eyes, this fact was the most apparent. While full  
  
humans may experience the graying of hair over such events, the stresses  
  
of Aihran's life manifested themselves deep within the blue seas of her  
  
eyes.  
  
'Now, for the Federation's current status as to the conflict with His Shadow's forces,' Maggie continued. 'Two days ago, we received word from Starfleet Headquarters that Federation Outpost Deep Space Nine, as well as both the Bajoran and Cardassian homeworlds, had been taken over by a previously unencountered alien presence. Until you informed us earlier that their leader calls himself 'His Shadow' we were unaware as to who, exactly, these invaders were, as all communications with the occupied areas have been more or less cut off. Starfleet did learn, however, from those who actuallly managed to escape that the one we now know as 'His Shadow' physiologically resembles the Trill, a race of 'joined' humanoids who are active members of the Federation, in that his humanoid form is inhabited by an invertebrate symbiont which appears to control his every action...'  
  
'With all due respect, Admiral,' Stanley Tweedle interrupted, 'You're not telling us anything we don't already know.'  
  
'Point well taken, Captain,' Tom Paris answered, 'but I believe the Admiral was attempting to fill in those of us who are still in the dark about all this. Admiral, if you would continue,' he finished, motioning towards her.  
  
'Indeed, thank you, Number One.  
  
'Anyway, as I was saying,' Maggie resumed, fidgeting in her seat and clearing her throat, 'Deep Space Nine, one Federation planet and one non- Federation planet have been occupied. When the station was invaded, all information in the main computers was downloaded to the nearest relay station. Although it is possible it could have been intercepted by enemy forces in the Bajoran wormhole, we believe it was safely received by Deep Space Ten--one of our stations in the Gamma Quadrant near the Vorta homeworld. Also, all crucial sections were sealed off and self-destructed. The only remaining section of Deep Space Nine is useless to His Shadow's Forces in all tactical senses except as a relay center and stepping stone into Federation Territory.  
  
'It is for this reason that we must act now--and rid DS9 of enemy forces before they have a chance to take over any more of our worlds...'  
  
'Admiral,' Commander T'Val began, 'Would it not be more logical to lure them into our own territory--territory that we are familiar with and in which we would therefore have a tactical advantage?'  
  
'Not at the expense of any more lives, Commander. Far too many people have suffered because of this His Shadow nuisance. I can't allow any more...'  
  
'I think I see where T'Val is going with this, Admiral,' Odo chimed in. 'If only we could set some sort of bait...' he thought a moment, '...a badly damaged ship of some sort--something easy to combat--an Andorian luxury liner, for example. Send a phony distress call out to Deep Space Nine, and when they arrive, have a bunch of cloaked ships waiting to ambush them. That is, of course, assuming His Shadow is unfamiliar with cloaking technology?' His eyes traversed the faces of the Lexx crew.  
  
'That they are,' Kai responded. 'But if it is possible they could have intercepted the Deep Space Nine computer download, the situation may have changed.'  
  
'The download was dispatched on a heavily encoded frequency--they always are--one so jumbled only an expert from Starfleet Intelligence could have made sense of it. But I for one am assuming that every step ahead of His Shadow we may be technologically, he's an extra step ahead of us in cunning,' Maggie added.  
  
'Do you think,' Ensign Bittman suddenly announced, coming down from a cloud of deep thought, 'we could send a few larger destroyers and perhaps...Klingon Birds of Prey...to intercept the enemy vessels approaching the bait, a good number of heavily armed destroyers...perhaps Prometheus class or something similar...to Deep Space Nine...and an entire interstellar armada into the Gamma Quadrant to cripple the enemy at their base?'  
  
'Excellent tactical ideas, Ensign. But we need to have an entire interstellar armada on the home turf as well...just in case the 'bait' doesn't go down too well. I was thinking that when we finally do venture into the Gamma Quadrant, we should rely heavily on Borg cubes.'  
  
'You would think of that, Maggie,' Dr. Bic snarled at her.  
  
'Hey, if His Shadow can rip through a fleet of Borg ships, then we'll know he's stronger than he makes himself out to us,' The part Cardassian, part Bajoran, part Borg, Nulak Deb contributed.  
  
'But,' Maggie added, 'the way things are going, even with Starfleet vessels alone, I'd say we've got him outgunned. Geez, this bastard sure picked the wrong people to mess with!'  
  
*You seem very confident about this, Admiral,* Kai glanced over at her.  
  
*Pissed off, yes. Confident? That's yet to come. But we've overcome far more formidable adversaries...if that weren't so, I wouldn't be here,* she smiled back at him.  
  
Understanding that she meant the Borg,he returned the smile--a ghost of a smile--but a smile, nonetheless.  
  
'But the Borg are allied with us on this?' Captain Paris inquired.  
  
'They sure are...but you'll find out more about that at the Admiral's Conference.'  
  
'Admiral's Conference?' Xev asked, perplexed.  
  
'When we arrive at Spacedock, we are to immediately board a runabout bound for Starfleet Headquarters to attend a classified briefing with the Federation President, Starfleet Intelligence, and the Council of Admirals. Computer, what is the present time?'  
  
'1907 hours.'  
  
'Damn, we're late...'  
  
'But why us?' B'Elanna questioned.  
  
'Because we're the only ones in the Federation who have seen what this His Shadow character can do who aren't trapped on Deep Space Nine. Also, we've got three--four if you count that blasted 'droid in the Brig--who have had prior dealings with him--know his style. 790 will be released from the Brig upon docking and, if he promises to keep decorum, will be permitted to attend the briefing.'  
  
'I'll do the best I can to keep him in line, Admiral,' Xev reassured her.  
  
'You do that.  
  
'Captain Tweedle, you and your crew best be getting back to the Lexx. I'm not sure exactly how you'd go about docking that thing, but the spacedock people can be quite helpful about that sort of thing. Just be sure to meet my senior staff and I in Observation Deck 7A. By then, I should have word on getting us a runabout or two. Until then,' Maggie rose, walking to the other side of the table to shake the Captain's hand, quickly retracting it with all the diplomacy she could muster when she remembered her last attempt.  
  
'This meeting is adjourned. Stations, please.' She tapped her commbadge,  
  
'Bridge, any word from spacedock?'  
  
'About an hour ago they asked us if we wanted to dock or were planning on just staying up here and looking pretty. Heh!'  
  
'How'd you answer them, Lieutenant?'  
  
'I informed them you were in a meeting with your senior staff and the crew of the alien vessel. They were a bit perturbed though when there was no response to their hails to the Lexx. But when I explained it was allright, that they must all be on board talking with you, they understood and asked us to stand by.'  
  
'I'll be up there in a minute then...McCoy out.'  
  
Maggie turned to face Captain Tweedle, 'This is your entire crew?'  
  
'The rest were eaten by Cluster Lizards,' he replied as he and his crew began to file out.  
  
A perplexed and somewhat sickened look quickly crossed the Admiral's face as she turned to face her first officer. As she was about to open her mouth, Kai approached her from behind.  
  
'Admiral,' he began,'Stanley has given me permission to remain on board the Narendra III during docking. Is this allright with you?'  
  
'More than allright, Kai. I'd be glad to have you...especially if you're considering that little proposal of mine,' she winked. 'Come on, guys,' she joked, linking her arms with the two men on either side, 'we've got some history to make.'  
  
**********************************  
  
'Captain on the bridge!' the Andorian Lieutenant who had been in command during the senior staff's absence suddenly announced, rising from her chair and standing at attention.  
  
'As you were,' Maggie responded, taking her place at the center of the bridge.  
  
The rest of the senior bridge crew resumed their stations, with Kai standing to the Admiral's left.  
  
'Ops, disengage tractor beam on the Lexx.'  
  
'Tractor beam disengaged, Admiral.'  
  
'Mr. Terok, hail spacedock and tell them we're coming in.'  
  
'Aye Admiral,' The Vulcan at the comm station responded. 'Spacedock acknowledges and replies that we are cleared for docking.'  
  
'Excellent. Okay, Mr. Bittman, Bring us around--Steady as she goes.'  
  
With the skill that only one of Starfleet's finest could possess, Renee Bittman began the docking procedure.  
  
'1/8 impulse power, present speed. Spacedock doors opened.'  
  
'Proceed in,' Maggie replied, leaning back in her chair.  
  
Slowly, the Narendra III was engulfed by the floating structure, so massive it substantially dwarfed the in-of-itself large starship.  
  
The ship turned and made its way into one of the drydocks.  
  
'Impulse engines shutting down and docking clamps engaged. Docking process complete in 7 seconds...4-3-2-1. Docking successful, Admiral,' Ensign Bittman announced, turning from her station to face her commanding officer.  
  
'Excellent work, Renee. And what about the Lexx? Did they make it in?'  
  
'The Lexx is entering drydock 3A1--all the way on the other side,' Ensign Elar reported.  
  
'How is it being held in place?' Tom Paris inquired, approaching the Ops station and peering over the Ensign's shoulder.  
  
'Tractor beam, sir,' he responded.  
  
'On visual.'  
  
'Aye, Captain.'  
  
With that, a picture of the Lexx appeared on the viewscreen--being held into place by a weak field of blue light.  
  
'Mr. Terok, hail the Lexx Crew,' Maggie ordered.  
  
'Captain Tweedle. This is Admiral McCoy. I assume your first docking experience in a Federation space dock went well?'  
  
'Very smooth ride, Admiral,' he replied as his image was put on holo- visual. 'My only question is how should we get out of the ship? Should we take a shuttle over or wait for a beam out?'  
  
'My crew and I are about to depart for the space station and are planning to beam over. Upon arrival, I will instruct the transporter technicians to lock onto your crew and beam you over as well.'  
  
'Much appreciated, Admiral. See you on...Observation Deck 7A?'  
  
'That's right, Captain. McCoy out.'  
  
'Okay, everybody out,' Maggie smiled, heading for the turbolift.  
  
'Transporter Room 1." 


	5. Chapter Four

Maggie stood, in full dress uniform, outside the briefing room waiting for her colleagues to arrive. Finishing off a fresh-from-the-replicator cup of now lukewarm Amaretto Creme flavored coffee, she tossed the now empty paper cup into a garbage disposal.  
  
'Computer, what is the current time?'  
  
'The time is now 2300 hours.'  
  
*Damn, everybody's late. And I'm about to crash, this coffee's just not doing the trick!*  
  
With that, Kai came from around the corner, also in Starfleet dress uniform, with the two and a half pips denoting a Lieutenant Commander at his collar.  
  
'Well, hello there. I see you've decided to join us--in Starfleet I mean,' she smiled at him.  
  
'It would be the logical thing to do. His Shadow has invaded your space and I have previous combat experience against him.'  
  
Maggie leaned over and turned her head to examine both of his ears.  
  
'No points...whew! You scared me for a minute there, Kai,' she laughed.  
  
'Points? Explain.'  
  
'Nevermind,' she replied, the levity escaping her face.  
  
With that, she could feel him probing her thoughts.  
  
*Aah, the Vulcans!* he communicated to her, suddenly understanding her joke.  
  
Maggie felt the smile returning to her countenance and could not prevent herself from giggling. It appeared her laughter was contagious, even among the dead, as Kai found himself returning the laugh.  
  
*Kai, you laughed! That's wonderful,* she congratulated him.  
  
Thinking for a moment, he responded, *Yes...I did, didn't I? I had forgotten...*  
  
*That you had those emotions?*  
  
He nodded. *When I retrieved my memories from the Divine Predecessors, I retrieved memories of laughter--knowledge of laughter. But laughter in the purely intellectual sense--I knew what it was, could understand why people would want to engage in it. But, what I did not understand was that I was capable of engaging in it myself.*  
  
*Or perhaps you were afraid to, Kai. Afraid of what contextual memories may surface if you allowed your old emotions to surface.*  
  
*I...I never thought of it that way before.*  
  
*Kai, from what you've demonstrated to me in the extremely short time that I've known you--you're capable of emotion...and much more.*  
  
Looking her in the eyes, his lips began, ever so slightly, to turn up into a smile.  
  
*Come on...just a little bit more. You can do it, Kai,* she teased.  
  
He couldn't hold back anymore--he burst out laughing and Maggie, unable to control herself, joined in.  
  
As they laughed, his gaze fixed onto her, and at that moment he knew she had never been more beautiful to him. Her blue eyes sparkled with merriment, her long, thin face lit up with a thousand lights, her narrow red lips parted in a smile, and a delicate white hand reached to push a stray tendril of chestnut silk, the rest of which was pulled back in a tortoise-shell barrette, behind a perfectly sculpted ear.  
  
The two were practically in stitches when Stan and the Lexx Crew approached them from behind.  
  
'What is this? The dead man in black actually 'laughing'?' 790 teased.  
  
'What, are you the only one around here who is allowed to have a sense of humor, 790?' Kai teased back.  
  
'The only one who's allowed to have a bad sense of humor, maybe,' Tom Paris called from around the corner. 'Now, you behave yourself in that meeting or it's back to the Brig, Capeesh?'  
  
Maggie turned to face Tom and did a double take at the figure standing next to him.  
  
'Hey Mom,' he greeted her with a smile.  
  
'Jim! Jimmy, my boy, what are you doing here?' Maggie shouted as she threw her arms around her son.  
  
'Well, Mom. It would seem that the Enterprise has been decommissioned--to make room for a new class of ships I've heard they're going to be discussing with us at the meeting,' he replied.  
  
'So you are here for the Admiral's briefing then?'  
  
'Yup, and I'm not the only one. Word has it that Uncle Spock and a few other Federation Ambassadors are going to be in attendance as well. Have you seen Uncle Jim yet, by the way?'  
  
'No, I haven't. Actually, until they all came along,' Maggie answered, motioning towards the Lexx Crew, 'I hadn't seen anyone. This meeting was supposed to start at 2300 hours and it's already significantly past then!'  
  
Walking her son over to the rest of the group, she began to introduce him.  
  
'Everybody,I'd like you to meet my son. Captain Leonard James McCoy, the former Commanding Officer of the Starship Enterprise. Jim, Captain Paris you already know.'  
  
'A pleasure to see you again, Captain,' Tom greeted, extending his hand.  
  
'The pleasure's all mine, sir,' the young El-Aurian man replied, accepting it.  
  
'This is the crew of the Lexx, an alien vessel we came in contact with during our investigation of the Gamma Quadrant. Captain Stanley Tweedle, Xev Bellringer, and 790.'  
  
'An honor and a pleasure.' Jim's eyes stopped on Xev, who appeared to be quite fascinated with the tall, well-built young man.  
  
'You have a very handsome son, Admiral McCoy,' she commented.  
  
'Thank you Ms. Bellringer. And this,' Maggie went on, not noticing her son's attention still fixated on Xev, 'is Lieutenant Commander Kai, Starfleet's newest addition, and my auxiliary first officer...Jim? Jim!'  
  
Snapping out of it,'Oh, sorry Mom. An honor, Commander. It's always refreshing to see new faces in Starfleet.' He extended his hand to Kai.  
  
'Sir,' Kai responded curtly, accepting the hand and giving it a firm shake.  
  
'Cold hands. Are you Borg or something?' Jim McCoy inquired.  
  
'No, Captain. By most biological definitions, I would be considered dead.'  
  
Maggie smiled at him, obviously proud that he had accepted himself as a unique  
  
lifeform, and no longer as a mere animated corpse.  
  
'Fascinating.'  
  
'Maggie! Jim! How are my two favorite McCoys this evening?' a voice from behind called.  
  
The Admiral and her son turned to meet the amber-colored eyes of one of Starfleet's finest.  
  
'Jim!' Maggie exclaimed, rushing over to embrace her old friend. 'How are you?'  
  
She scrutinized the pips on his uniform, 'Nice...so, you've finally decided to join us up in the 'ranks', eh?'  
  
'About two days ago, I received a transmission from the President, himself, offering me promotion to Fleet Admiral. At first, I've got to say I was a bit hesitant, but he assured me I could remain in the Captain's chair as long as I wished,' the aged, yet nimble and strong newly promoted Admiral looked behind him to see the smiling face of his godson.  
  
*My God, how much he resembles Bones,* he thought to himself.  
  
'Hey Uncle Jim,' the young man smiled.  
  
'Jimmy! It's so wonderful to see you again. But I've got to ask what you're doing here.'  
  
'Well, as I was telling Mom just a minute ago, the Enterprise has been decommissioned--to make room for a few new Starship classes, I think. Anyway, when I received word about it, the President asked me to come to this briefing.'  
  
'Who knows? Maybe that means there's a promotion in store for you,' the older man smiled.  
  
'One can always hope.'  
  
*Hope,* Kai repeated in his mind. The very sound of the word engulfed him in a shroud of light that reached to the innermost depths of his soul--a soul whose nature he was now in the process of re-learning thanks to a woman of that very name.  
  
'But who is this?' Admiral Kirk inquired, motioning towards the ebony- haired Lieutenant Commander standing behind his godson. 'Sir, I don't believe we've met before,' he greeted, approaching him.  
  
'Lieutenant Commander Kai, auxiliary first officer under the command of Admiral Valle-McCoy, sir,' Kai affirmed, suddenly snapping to attention in the presence of the senior officer.  
  
*He learns well,* Maggie mused wryly, keeping her thoughts her own.  
  
'At ease, Commander,' Kirk replied, waiting for Kai to respond. 'What's this? We have auxiliary first officers in Starfleet now?' he asked, turning to Maggie.  
  
'All to be explained in the briefing, Jim.'  
  
'Ah,' he turned back, meeting the new officer's gaze with a smile. 'I'm Fleet Admiral James T. Kirk, commanding officer of the USS Kobayashi Maru, and an old friend of Admiral McCoy's. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir,' he said, extending a hand.  
  
Accepting it, Kai replied,'Indeed, sir. The Admiral has told me much about you.'  
  
'I hope only good things,' Kirk smiled.  
  
'Only the best, sir,' Kai returned the smile--a smile which he had only recently learned again how to use.  
  
'Cold hands,' Kirk commented, releasing his grip on Commander Kai's hand.  
  
'As I informed Captain McCoy before your arrival, by most biological definitions I would be considered dead.'  
  
'Biological definitions? Explain.'  
  
'Although my body is physically dead, I am still sentient--as in your old Earth phrase 'I think, therefore I am.''  
  
The Lexx crew's mouths dropped to hear Kai speaking such words. Never in their wildest dreams did they believe he would ever consider himself anything but dead.  
  
'Interesting, Commander. And I see you've been studying up on ancient Terran culture--very good.' He paused, 'I was dead once, although thanks to the Romulans and the Borg, I'm standing here today old--but very much alive.'  
  
'Yes, the Admiral and Dr. Bic informed me of the event of which you speak.'  
  
'Really?' Admiral Kirk seemed flabbergasted. *Why in hell would THAT of all things come up in conversation?* 'In what context?'  
  
'They were informing me of the possibility of nanoprobe-aided organic tissue regeneration. At first, I was skeptical, but now I am beginning to consider it quite strongly.'  
  
Again, shock was plain on the faces of the Lexx crew.  
  
'Kai, you mean, Starfleet has a way to bring you back to life?' Xev asked, eyes lit up with the possibility, as she touched a hand to his shoulder.  
  
'Yes,' he replied, his eyes wandering to meet Maggie's and then returning to the woman in front him.  
  
'Well, that..that's wonderful! Why didn't you tell us?' Stan asked.  
  
'I was not going to mention it until I was more sure I was going to go through with it. But if I do decide to, it will not be done until after His Shadow is defeated. If we go to war against his forces, I would like to have use of the abilities endowed to me when I was made an assassin.'  
  
  
  
'Shadow? What?' a confused look manifested itself on Kirk's face as he turned once again to Maggie. 'Is that going to be explained at the briefing as well?'  
  
Nodding once, she turned her attentions back to Kai, her old friend doing the same.  
  
'And I take it these are friends of yours?' Admiral Kirk inquired, motioning towards the Lexx Crew.  
  
'Yes. They are my former shipmates.' He began to introduce them. 'This is Stanley Tweedle, Captain of the Lexx...'  
  
'Lexx?' Kirk interrupted.  
  
'An alien vessel we encountered during our survey of the Gamma Quadrant earlier today,' Maggie informed him.  
  
'Sorry for the interruption, Commander. Please continue.'  
  
'And this is Xev Bellringer and 790.'  
  
'An honor and...' his eyes met Xev's '...a pleasure,' he smiled.  
  
There was a time when the Admiral would have jumped at the chance to...get to know this woman on a more...personal...level. But his days of exploring strange new women were long over...or were they.  
  
*Yes, they are,* he said to himself, the image of his lovely wife, Teilani popping into his mind.  
  
'The pleasure's all ours, Admiral,' the charming young woman replied.  
  
With that, Admiral Sarah Kodhar-Syms, the only person in Starfleet to attain the rank of Admiral younger than Jim Kirk once had, came out of the briefing room.  
  
'Admiral Kodhar, nice to see you again,' Maggie greeted, offering a hand to her colleague. 'Is the meeting supposed to start soon?'  
  
'Yes, Admiral. Sorry about the delay--it seemed we were having a bit of trouble getting the Ferengi ambassador over here. We should have sent around a message to everybody...'  
  
'Don't worry about it, Sarah, it's given me a chance to spend some time with old friends,' Maggie smiled, embracing Jim Kirk and her son with each arm.  
  
'Captain Kirk? So, you've finally accepted a promotion, have you?' the half Klingon-half Human admiral asked, obviously stunned at the bars of four pips lining each side of his collar.  
  
'A double promotion, Admiral Kodhar. But mind you, if after this conflict is over the powers that be try to shove me off into some Starfleet classroom, these pips are coming off.'  
  
'I don't blame you one bit-- Fleet Admiral,' Sarah Kodhar smiled,'When Starfleet offered me my promotion, I made a point to tell them I would only accept if I could keep my command post.'  
  
'Aah, is this thing finally going to start?' Xev pouted.  
  
  
  
'I think so,' Maggie replied, suddenly hearing a mass of voices getting louder and louder as they approached. 'I think we can go inside now, too.'  
  
Admiral Kodhar opened the door, and they all began to file inside.  
  
'Sir,' Kai addressed Admiral Kirk as they entered the room. 'After the briefing, would you mind telling me more about your experiences with nanoprobe regeneration technology?'  
  
'Not at all, Commander. Are you free directly afterwards?'  
  
'I believe so.'  
  
'Excellent! Meet me in my office, Suite 5G, later on and I'll tell you anything you want to know.'  
  
'Very much appreciated, Admiral,' Kai thanked him.  
  
'Anytime,' Kirk smiled. 'Now, if you don't mind my asking, what are your people called? I don't recall ever meeting anyone of your species before, although I have to say you remind me very much of the ancient El-Aurians-- only from pictures I have seen, of course. I may be old, but I'm sure as hell not that old!' he chuckled.  
  
Kai stopped, stunned.  
  
*Could it be that the Brunnen-G are the ancient predecessors of the El- Aurians?* he thought. *It would explain my ability to create such a strong telepathic link with Aihran. But, I cannot recall learning of any Brunnen-G ever leaving the planet for another sector of space--at least not before the shield was put up.* It hit him,*The exodus from Brunnis 1. My God.*  
  
Turning to face the Admiral, he replied, 'We call, or rather we called, ourselves the Brunnen-G. My world once existed in the outer regions of what is known to the Federation as the Gamma Quadrant. However, it was destroyed over two millenia ago by His Shadow. I am the last of my people--or at least, so I believe.'  
  
'Well, you know, anything's possible.'  
  
'Indeed, sir,' Kai replied. *Indeed,* he repeated to himself, thinking of Maggie and the light she had brought to his existence in only the few hours he had known her.  
  
'Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm wanted up on the dais. Don't forget our appointment for later on,' he said, walking away backwards.  
  
'I shall not. And...thank you,' a slight smile overtaking his countenance.  
  
'Anytime, my friend. Anytime.'  
  
With that, the Admiral turned and took a seat at the front of the room.  
  
Maggie, meanwhile, had long since seated herself directly to the right of where the Federation President would sit once he arrived. As he sat down, Kai took notice of this, and realized just how important she must be. Looking around, he also noticed the tiny room beginning to fill with Ambassadors of every shape, color, and size the mind could conceive of.  
  
'Wow, this is some organization--this United Federation of Planets,' Kai could hear Stan whisper to Xev as they filed into the row behind him.  
  
'Looks like one big cosmic freak show if you ask me! Have you seen those blue people with the antennae on their heads--bleah! Give me my Xev anyday,' 790 began to carry on.  
  
'Hush, 790, or Captain Paris is going to put you in the brig again,' Xev admonished him.  
  
'Oh, I'm not scared of that bony-faced weasel. He thinks he's so hotsy- totsy cause he carries that..what is it called again--phaser? Heh! Take THAT away from him and he's powerless. Anyway, I saw how he was looking at you, my gorgeous, wonderful Xev! I honestly can't blame the man, but still-- his shamelessness really gets under my collar,' the robot-head carried on.  
  
'With all due respect, 790, it does not seem that difficult to access the area under your collar,' Kai joked, turning around to face them.  
  
'Well, if it isn't Mr. Lieutenant Commander Dead Man trying to be funny again!'  
  
'Excuse me, Commander.'  
  
Looking up, Kai noticed Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres standing over him, wanting him to move his legs so they could take the seats beside him.  
  
'Muchas gracias.' He sat down, 'And 790, I did overhear a bit of what you just said--and no, I was not looking at your girlfriend here but yes, I will put you in the brig--personally-- if you cause any trouble during this briefing. Try to open those positronic ears of yours--pay attention--maybe you'll have some constructive solutions for the Federation.'  
  
'Yeah, 790, I mean, after all you were an insider for these guys for so long,' B'Elanna added. 'By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a dataport would you?'  
  
'A what? I don't believe so, Commander Torres. Why do you ask?'  
  
'Because if you did, and we do wind up going to war with His Shadow, we could use you as a hacker--to break into the Divine Order's computers, mess up their systems, etc.'  
  
'Do you think you could install one of these dataports on me? Sounds like a really fun job,' 790 beamed. Aah, a chance to be a hero for his Xev.  
  
'It shouldn't be too hard--meet me in Main Engineering after the briefing and I'll see what I can do.'  
  
Tom turned to his wife, 'I thought we had a date after the briefing, babe,' he whined, kissing her hand.  
  
'I guess you're just not important enough, Tom,' B'Elanna teased.  
  
'Getting dumped for a robot head! Well...I suppose stranger things have happened,' he chuckled.  
  
'I heard that, Mr. Hotsy-Totsy Captain! Grr...' 790 fumed under his breath.  
  
'B'Elanna, did you hear something?'  
  
'Not a sound, Tom.'  
  
Kai began to replay Captain Paris's words in his mind,*Stranger things have happened.*  
  
*Indeed,* he thought,looking over at Maggie, seated at the dais in the front of the room. She appeared to be busy--occupied with some data padds, but any attempts on his part to hide his attentions were futile. She could feel his eyes on her and began to hear his thoughts blend gently into hers. Looking up from her work, her eyes caught his, and for a brief moment they shared a smile seen only by themselves.  
  
Their moment of bliss was cut off, however, by a bailiff announcing the arrival of the President.  
  
'All rise!' he called out.  
  
Everyone in the room rose from their seats to welcome the leader of the Federation, a Betazoid man who appeared approximately 60 earth years old.  
  
'Please be seated,' the President instructed as he took his place at the center podium.  
  
'My fellow humanoids,' he began, 'It pleases me to announce that for the first time since the birth of our Federation, assembled here in peace are representatives from not only all Federation planets, but from most other neighboring interstellar organizations. On the other hand, I regret I must inform you that the peace extends no farther than these walls, for a few days ago, Starfleet Intelligence received word that a hostile force known throughout the  
  
greater part of the Gamma Quadrant as the Divine Order has invaded Cardassia, Bajor, and Federation Outpost Deep Space Nine and has claimed occupation of the Bajoran Wormhole...'  
  
The President went on for a while before handing the briefing over to Maggie.  
  
'And now to report on the state of our military preparedness, as well as a possible plan of action for addressing this situation, Starfleet's longest serving and highest ranking officer, Fleet Admiral Magdalena Valle-McCoy.'  
  
Rising as he took his seat, she began by thanking the President and clearing her throat.  
  
'Today is indeed, a historical day, not only because of the feeling of oneness that permeates this room, but because, as a result of the united technological efforts of the interstellar organizations present, three new Starship classes are born. Lights please,' she commanded as the lights dimmed and a figure of a ship appeared behind her on a viewscreen.  
  
'The first, being 'Enterprise Class'. As you can see, it is an extremely large, powerful ship, but also extremely maneuverable. Like the current Prometheus Class Starships, it is capable of separating into three separate ships: two larger ships with visible nacelles and one transwarp and defense capable runabout. Because during the process of separation, it is necessary that each ship be commanded by a skilled officer, those of you assigned to the Enterprise Class when and if we finally engage His Shadow's forces will be assigned two first officers.'  
  
*Aha, so that's why she assigned Commander Kai that position!* Admiral Kirk thought to himself. *But how is she so sure she's going to get an Enterprise Class ship? Oh, nevermind, she IS the highest ranking officer in Starfleet..I'm sure she gets first pick!*  
  
'The second new class...' she continued, a different ship appearing on the viewscreen,'...is somewhat of a hybrid between the older Intrepid Class and the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. It is somewhat less heavily-armed than the Enterprise Class, but possesses twice the power, speed, and maneuverability. Until this evening, this class of ship was yet unnamed; however, over a cup of coffee earlier, the President and I decided on a name. In honor of those noble people who, over two millennia ago so bravely endeavoured to protect their world from invasion by His Shadow, we have decided to name it 'Brunnen-G Class'. We have every confidence that this Starship class will play vital role in bringing about the downfall of this heinous oppressor once and for all.'  
  
With her words, Kai's face lit up.  
  
*Thank you,* he silently communicated to her, closing his eyes with the knowledge that justice would finally prevail. *Words cannot express what this means to me.*  
  
*It was the least I could do, Kai,* she replied with a glance in his direction.  
  
'The third new class of Starship, as it most completely embodies the collective efforts of engineers from throughout the galaxy, is to be dubbed 'Union Class'. Also, it name stems from the fact that they will be most tactically successful when attacking in clusters...'  
  
As she went on, a courier approached the dais, a grim look on his face, as he handed the President a data padd and whispered something in his ear.  
  
Apparently, the message the courier brought was not a pleasant one, as his grim disposition spread to the President's face as would an infectious disease.  
  
Rising from his seat, he proceeded to interrupt Maggie.  
  
'Excuse me, Admiral.'  
  
The troubled countenance of her superior subconsciously told her she better step aside.  
  
'It displeases me to inform you that as of five minutes ago, the Allied Forces of the Orions, the Kazon, and the Divine Order have formally declared war on the United Federation of Planets and its allies.'  
  
In response to his unfortunate announcement, chaos began to erupt among those in attendance.  
  
With that, who should appear next to the President but... 


	6. Chapter Five

'Q!' Maggie shouted, shocked out of her grief by his appearance. 'What in hell do you think you're doing here?'  
  
Looking down at his uniform, Q realized he had mistakenly chosen to appear as a Starfleet Captain.  
  
'Aah, I see. Not dressed for the occasion.' With a snap of his fingers, he quickly reappeared in an Admiral's dress uniform nearly identical to Maggie's save for the color of the undershirt.  
  
'Better?' he asked snidely.  
  
'That's NOT what I meant!'  
  
'Lovely to see you again as well, Maggie dearest.' He turned to the President.  
  
'Well, in response to the Admiral's question, I'm here to inform you...all of you...that you have  
  
the Q Continuum's complete, although, unofficial support in your pitiful humanoid squabble.'  
  
'Unofficial? Explain,' Maggie questioned.  
  
'Aihran-she'av,' he addressed her in her native El-Aurian. 'J'hki-nor thav- il'a yebsi, upsonaa Q hkerr rensit po thav-il'a net edam ikanare tehrhkanic- le't.'  
  
Kai could not believe his ears.  
  
*Could it be?* he thought, shielding his mind from Aihran's. The syntax was the same, the grammar slightly different, interspersed with some vocabulary he did not know--but the language in which this strange being just spoke to Admiral McCoy was unequivocally the language of the Brunnen-G.  
  
'What did he just say?' The President asked her.  
  
'He said, Although we have his support, the rest of the Continuum cannot know because they aren't supposed to interfere with the political affairs of humanoids. Very good, Q. Your L'khor-an Al'yit is improving.'  
  
'Muchiss grassy-ass, Senior-a,' he replied, bringing her hand to his lips.  
  
Drawing it back in utter disgust, she answered with a quick 'De nada.'  
  
'Aww...just one kiss, Maggie May. After all, I've spoken to you in both of your native tongues--no pun intended.'  
  
'Oh my God!' she mumbled under her breath. 'Not a chance, Q. And don't call me Maggie May!"  
  
'I know, I know. If you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me, my dear, I would be the happiest Q in existence.' He said, stepping down from the dais and venturing through the aisles, stopping directly in front of Kai. 'Say...' he began, scanning Kai from head to toe. 'I rather like your hairdo, Mr...Kai, isn't it?'  
  
Examining his uniform, 'Pardon me, 'Lieutenant-Commander' Kai. I don't believe we've met before, but you're going to be seeing quite a bit of me from now on, I'm afraid. That is, if you can find enough protoblood to sustain you until then. Oh...but I forgot, these Starfleeters have the technology to replicate infinite amounts of that damnable goo--even the technology to bring you back to life. Now, how does that make you feel?'  
  
'As you affirmed yourself, Mr. Q, I am dead. I do not feel.'  
  
'Just Q will suffice, thank you very much. And we both know that's not entirely so. You feel for Aihran, don't you? Quite deeply--you may not yet realize it, but you do. Can't blame you though, she is rather a cute little ex-Borg drone. As cute as she can be, that is, with all that metal stuck into her--Bleah! And rather introspective, dontcha think? Yes...' he hissed, '...that's the quality you admire the most about her.' Turning his head back to the dais, 'Admiral, you better watch out for this one, he moves a bit...quickly! Haha!'  
  
'Is this really necessary, Q,' Tom Paris chimed in. 'You've made your point, now leave.'  
  
'Temper, temper, mon capitan,' Q tsk-tsked. 'But you are quite right, I have overstepped my bounds. I shall leave,' he sighed, 'but not until I see how I look with that absolutely smashing 'do.'  
  
In an instantaneous flash, he appeared, still in Starfleet uniform, but with the hairstyle of a Brunnen-G.  
  
Gazing into a hand mirror, Q appraised his appearance. 'Not bad!' he commented. 'Not bad at all! Now, to appeal to your fascination with 20th Century Earth culture, Tommy Boy, at the moment I am again needed, Just call my na-a-a-ame and I'll be the-e-ere!' he crooned. 'Hasta la vista, Baby! I'll be bock.' and with a snap of his fingers, he disappeared as quickly as he appeared.  
  
'Oh, thank God,' Maggie mumbled, falling back into her seat.  
  
'Because of the unfortunate update on our present conflict, this meeting is adjourned until further notice,' the President announced, banging a gavel.  
  
The sounds of chaos once again appeared in the room as those present began to file out.  
  
Approaching the dais, Erika Bic studied her commanding officer's haggard appearance.  
  
'I hope you're turning in soon.'  
  
'Hate to break it to you, Erika, but no. I've got a Borg Cube load of work to do--tactical strategies, organizing a crew, etc. It'll be at least another hour or so before this poor soul sees sleep. Now if you'll excuse me,' she replied, gathering up her data padds and leaving the room.  
  
'If you need to talk, Mags, I'll be staying in 6E3 tonight!' she called to her, sensing her disturbance at Q's observations.  
  
'Thanks. I might just take you up on that offer,' Maggie turned with a smile.  
  
Meanwhile, Kai approached Admiral Kirk.  
  
'Admiral, would you mind if we discussed now what I asked you about earlier?'  
  
'No, not at all, Kai. Let's go up to my office--I'll fix us a cup of coffee.'  
  
'I appreciate your offer, Admiral. But I am dead. I do not drink.'  
  
'I see...well, in that case I'll fix myself a cup of coffee while I tell you anything you want to know.  
  
***********************************  
  
A few hours later, Kai left Admiral Kirk's office feeling somewhat more confident of the surgical procedure Dr. Bic had informed him about earlier. Kirk had told him that at first, he had some neurological difficulties because of the strange way in which the nanoprobes had rewired his neurons. However, after an operation performed by Maggie's former husband and a fellow named Dr. Bashir, he was once again in fully functioning order. This reassured him, and reassured him further when he discovered this Dr. Bashir was now the head of Starfleet Medical.  
  
'Computer, what is the present time?'  
  
'The time is now 0102 hours.'  
  
*It is very late,* he thought to himself. His first idea was to seek out Dr. Bic and ask her if it were possible to erect a cryopod somewhere at Starfleet Headquarters, but his body was well-supplied with protoblood and he was sure he could last a few more hours.  
  
Therefore, he decided to do some research.  
  
Approaching a computer console, he requested, 'Computer, open dossier file on Admiral Magdalena Valle-McCoy.'  
  
With that, a quite detailed resume of the Admiral's life and accomplishments appeared on the screen. He began to read silently to himself:  
  
FULL NAME: Magdalena Aihran Valle-McCoy, M.D.  
  
RANK: Fleet Admiral  
  
DATE OF BIRTH: August 8, 2204  
  
PLACE OF BIRTH: Rai'khan City, El-Auria  
  
PARENTS: Admiral Sean Enrique Valle; Miran Hke'lan, MD  
  
SPOUSE: Admiral Leonard H. McCoy, MD; married 2311-2373  
  
CHILDREN:Captain Leonard James McCoy, born 2318;  
  
Commander Teresa Allison McCoy, MD, 2321-2374  
  
EDUCATION: 2227-Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University, School of Engineering & Applied Science, Earth; 2231-MD from Columbia University School of Medicine; 2239-Starfleet Academy  
  
LANGUAGES: Catalan, El-Aurian, English, Federation Standard, French, Klingon, Romulan, Spanish, Vulcan, Vurlig  
  
RANKS PREVIOUSLY HELD:  
  
Ensign 2239-2240  
  
Lieutenant 2240-2245  
  
Lieutenant-Commander 2245-2258  
  
Commander 2258-2272  
  
Captain 2272-2311  
  
*2311-2320- Time taken off from Starfleet*  
  
Commander (reduction in rank due to conviction) 2320-2323  
  
Captain 2323-2340  
  
Admiral 2340-2375 (2375-Assimilated by the Borg)  
  
Fleet Admiral 2396-Present  
  
STARFLEET POSITIONS HELD:  
  
2239-2245 Assistant Physician aboard U.S.S. Constitution, Constitution Class  
  
2245-2265 Chief Medical Officer aboard U.S.S. Rubicon, Constitution Class  
  
2265-2267 Biomedical research fellow aboard U.S.S. Enterprise, Constitution Class  
  
2267 End of Starfleet Medical Service, but retained status as officer of medical ranks  
  
2267-2280 Combat Trainee at Federation Outpost Deep Space Four  
  
2280-2295 Commanding Officer of U.S.S. Veritas, Excelsior Class  
  
2320-2329 First Officer aboard U.S.S. Peacemaker, Ambassador Class  
  
2329-2340 Commanding Officer aboard U.S.S. Peacemaker, Ambassador Class  
  
2340-2365 Professor--Starfleet Academy, taught Tactical Strategy and Biomedical Engineering  
  
2365-2370 Commanding Officer aboard refit U.S.S. Sabre, Constellation Class  
  
2370-2375 Commanding Officer aboard U.S.S. Libra, Defiant Class  
  
2374-U.S.S. Libra believed lost.  
  
2374-U.S.S Libra rediscovered by U.S.S. Voyager  
  
2375-2396 Member of Borg Collective--designation 4 of 4, served as medical repair drone  
  
2396-Rescued from Collective  
  
2396-Retired from Starfleet  
  
2396-2401 Held private medical practice in New York City, Earth  
  
2401-Returned to Starfleet  
  
2401-2405 Commanding Officer aboard U.S.S. Narendra III, Kobayashi Maru Class  
  
2401-Named Highest Ranking and Longest Serving Officer  
  
HONORS RECEIVED:  
  
2260-Awarded Federation Medal of Honor for Outstanding Medical Achievement  
  
2278-Awarded Federation Medal of Honor for Bravery & Federation Purple Heart  
  
2366-Awarded Federation Medal of Honor for Bravery in Battle of Wolf 356  
  
2368-Named one of Starfleet's Most Distinguished Soldiers  
  
2374-Awarded Federation Medal of Honor for Bravery in Vurlig Conflict  
  
2396-Awarded Purple Heart after return from the Borg Collective  
  
Kai could not help but be impressed by Maggie's astounding service record.  
  
However, one thing puzzled him...what crime could she have possibly been convicted of 85 years before?  
  
*J'hki-nor thav-il'a yebsi, upsonaa Q hkerr rensit po thav-il'a net edam ikanare tehrhkanic-le't.*  
  
The memory of the language in which she and Q had spoken to each other returned to him, blocking any suspicions towards Maggie's past from his consciousness.  
  
'Computer, bring up all information available on the El-Aurians.'  
  
Again, he read the results:  
  
El-Aurians--  
  
Displaced humanoid race with considerable telepathic/empathic abilities and an unusual physiology. Having an 800 year life span, El-Aurian somatic cells are coated in a non-conductive myelin-like substance and possess automatically regenerative telomeres. In addition, they possess redundant hearts and livers as well as Tungsten based blood and naturally well-toned bodies. Identifying physical traits of El-Aurians include black decoy vein bands around the neck and left wrist.  
  
Because of their telepathic/empathic nature, the El-Aurians are known as a race of 'listeners'--beings of few words but deep thought who generally choose to stay out of the limelight. Few currently serve in Starfleet, and those who do usually possess menial positions. One notable exception to this rule is Fleet Admiral Magdalena Aihran Valle-McCoy, who is currently Starfleet's most senior officer. Little is known about El-Aurian spirituality; however, the race as a whole appears to value the quality of being at peace with oneself and with the universe--in other words, 'listening'.  
  
Modern day El-Aurians are believed to be the descendents of two separate races: the J'Bhrun-An, a race of romantic dreamers originally from the Alpha Quadrant and the Al-Ryit'a, whose homeworld was Al-Ryi'a Lem. It is here that the El-Aurian race was born, through generations of interbreeding between the two species, and where it faced near extinction after the planet's destruction by the Borg in 2295. Since then, El-Aurians have made their homes primarily on worlds belonging to either the United Federation of Planets or the Klingon Empire whose cultures they have become well assimilated into.  
  
There was no longer any question in his mind--Maggie was descended from the Brunnen-G. He had to go speak to her...  
  
Stopping dead in his tracks, he reconsidered this decision. After the comments Q made concerning his feelings for her at the briefing, could he bear to face her again? The strange being was right--he did feel for her...deeply. Perhaps deeper than he had ever felt for anyone--while he was still alive and certainly deeper than he had believed he could feel for anyone now that he was dead.  
  
*But I am not...completely dead,* he smiled to himself.  
  
This day had been a strange one, he mused. First, an attack from His Shadow, proving to himself and the Lexx Crew that he was far from being out of their hair.  
  
Then, a rhendezvous with an alien ship, a journey to a region of space he had never before seen, getting involved in a conflict between the Divine Order and an equally powerful interstellar organization, and her.  
  
Without a second thought, he asked the computer, 'Computer, locate Admiral Valle-McCoy.'  
  
'Admiral Valle-McCoy is in her quarters.'  
  
'And where might that be located?'  
  
'Deck 7, Section E, Room 3.' 


End file.
